


Dwindling Flames

by ratgoblin



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: Angst, Blood, F/F, Fire Emblem Heroes Book II Spoilers, Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War Spoilers, Gore, POV Third Person, Past Child Abuse, Violence, War, also dw the gore aint that intense :p, hhhh im a cheap f2p baby so sorry if the cast seems small :C also idk how im gonna address alts, im also gonna challenge myself and only mention units ive summoned up until that point, this is my crackship based on my ally supports in heroes hh, this takes places during the beginning of book three btw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-10-13 05:32:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17482154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ratgoblin/pseuds/ratgoblin
Summary: After the defeat of Surtr, Laevatein comes with the Order of Heroes and escapes the fiery land that she once called home. As Laevatein slowly adapts to her new life, she must learn to think for herself and realize her worth, though she still struggles to catch herself when she pushes herself too far.Ishtar, a powerful thunder mage from another world, has led a life full of regrets. She fell in love with a madman, she fought against the liberation army, and she had let the child sacrifices go on without her intervention. Away from Jugdral and Julius, Ishtar can finally clear her mind and forget her past.Two damaged souls fighting for Zenith... can they both put behind their history and save Askr from impending doom?





	1. Nothing But Cinders

From the time she was born, Laevatein was taught she would never be more than a tool. A weapon. In fact, she was named after the legendary sword Laevatein, which was passed down to her at a very young age. Day and night, for hours, she trained. Even when she collapsed from exhaustion, there was more expected from her by her father. Surtr made sure to force her through rigorous training, no matter if it nearly killed her. What a horrible man he was... consumed entirely by Múspell's flames, he was simply a shell of a former king. Laevatein never knew what he was truly like. She did, however, see her father burn soldiers alive and conquer entire nations for fun. She watched him turn everything to cinders with his touch. And she saw how his hollow eye glowed a deep red when he was truly angry.  
Laegjarn was her only escape. She was cunning and smart. She could read the enemy like a book. Laegjarn was not relentless nor merciless like their father. And she deeply loved her little sister with all her heart, and would protect her through thick and thin.  
Losing Laegjarn would be a worse punishment than death.

~

Laevatein could feel her heartbeat pound through her body. The enemy was getting closer. It didn't matter if they got to Father, but if they got to Laegjarn...  
The sacrifices for the Rite of Flames were getting away. If they escaped, surely Surtr would kill her. It needn't matter what she thought, or how her legs felt like they were going to collapse. She would rather die in battle than at the hands of her father. She scoffed at that word, father. He was never a father to her. She was a pawn, a weapon, a mere twig in the kindling to him. Laevatein furrowed her brow. Just the thought of him made her quake with anger. Quickly though, she shook her head and took a breath. She needed to focus on capturing Ylgr and Veronica before they broke out of the castle. With each second passing, she could hear their faint footsteps growing louder and louder. The castle's halls were a labyrinth, even if she had grown up roaming these halls her whole life. Suddenly, turning the next corner, she abruptly came to a halt upon seeing the sacrifices running right towards her. Ylgr jolted at the sight of Laevatein, who stopped to catch her breath. Veronica, still breathing heavy from running, gasped, "You're Surtr's daughter, Laevatein... Aren't you?" Laevatein glared into Veronica's eyes with rage. "Daughter? No. To him, I am just a tool." Ylgr scooted closer to Veronica, who was already slowly backing away. "So you've come to capture us," she breathed, her voice still slowed by exhaustion. She gave off an aura of defeat, which made Laevatein uneasy. "Yes. And to find our foes," she answered. "They will come here. It is the only way to defeat Father."  
"I take it that Laegjarn has already fallen."  
Laevatein clenched her teeth together. Her knuckles whitened around her sword's handle. The rage was building up in her, and the temptation to slash Veronica with her blade for even so muttering those words was overwhelming.  
"Insult my sister and I will cut you down," retorted Laevatein.  
Veronica braced herself, pushing Ylgr behind her. "I invite you to. Destroy the sacrifice that your father needs to survive!" she cried. "I'd rather die than be used by Surtr." Laevatein could audibly hear her voice shaking and watched tears drip down Veronica's face. "And my brother need not risk his life rescuing me..." With those words, she dropped to her knees, as if begging for Laevatein to slice her head off. "If you think you can kill me, you should probably give it a try." She was sobbing now, hardly holding back from the wave of raw emotion that grasped her every limb. Laevatein was taken aback by the intensity of her sobs. "You..." Laevatein whispered, before a hand suddenly pulled her back from her shoulder. "Enough!" said a deep, masculine voice, as a masked man pushed past her and knelt down to Veronica, who looked up from the corridor floor. "Bruno?" she gasped. "You're here!" Laevatein caught herself, and unsheathed her blade. "Stay out of my way."  
A second voice called out, "Ylgr, are you here?" Another person pushed past her. It was the surviving older princess of Nifl, Fjorm. Ylgr jumped into Fjorm's arms. "Fjorm! Here I am!" Laevatein began to panic. She was now easily outnumbered, and she couldn't fail Surtr... not again.... Laevatein quickly launched herself past the four of them and bolted down the hall. She needed to regroup, or she could be slaughtered. She skidded into a large chamber. Reassured by the presence of contracted heroes, she marched up the stairs and commanded the units to prepare for battle. As soon as they acknowledged her orders, Princess Fjorm and the rest of the Order of Heroes came darting out of the alleyway and into sight. Laevatein could no longer contain her rage. "Askrans! Where is my sister? Did you kill her?"  
But she already knew the answer. Laegjarn would have to be dead if they had come this far. The blood boiling up inside her roared like an open flame. Her head was pounding, to a point where no other sound made it through her ears. She screamed at the top of her lungs. How DARE they take away her sister?? Did they know what they have done?? She would cut them down one by one! In her uncontrollable rage, she screeched, "I cannot forgive this... As my father ordered, I— I will kill you. Not for Father. But because of what you have done. Every last one!"

~

The rest of the battle was a blur.  
Laevatein's senses finally came through as the heavy scent of blood flooded her nose. She was hunched over, severely wounded.... she had lost the battle....  
There was only one more thing she could do. To avenge her sister...  
Gasping in pain, she clutched her side and braced herself on her sword. "I can...still fight. Flames...of Múspell!"  
The flames of the Múspell... it would be a dangerous rite to call upon the flame dragon. But there was no other way to finish off the Order.  
"Arm and arm, leg and leg. My head..."  
She could feel all her muscles tense up, as if she was forming into a stone statue.  
"My heart... All of it is offered..."  
Had her life come down to this? The tips of her fingers felt ablaze, as they swiftly climbed up her limbs.  
Every training session, every moment fighting, every memory with Laegjarn... had it all been for nothing?  
"...that you may feed..."  
It was getting harder and harder to speak. She struggled with each word, as her body burned brighter and hotter than it has ever before...  
"Devour me-"  
"Please, stop! This isn't what Laegjarn wanted!"  
In the raging fire, it was nearly impossible to hear anything else, but Laevatein sworn she heard Princess Fjorm calling out towards her. Laevatein gasped for air and trying to answer back, but the smoke in her lungs made her choke.  
"In her last moments, Princess Laegjarn's only wish was that you should live. Don't throw away your life here! You must honor your sister's wish and live on. One day, Nifl and Múspell will cease hostilities. There will be peace between our realms!"  
Laegjarn...?  
The flames began to diminish, but Laevatein's head was still pounding furiously. She collapsed, feeling the soot in her throat smother her airway. "She ordered me to...live?" she coughed, unable to regain the strength to even lift her head up. The whole world was spinning. "Order? No, Laevatein," reassured Fjorm. "She cared about you. It was her dying wish that you be saved..."  
Laevatein could barely breathe anymore. Her sister wanted her to live... but would she even do so? Laevatein groaned out in pain, and the world went black.


	2. Adapting to Askr

Askr was so much different than Múspell. In Múspell, thick smoke blanketed the sky, making each day as dark as night. The ground was charred, unable to yield any crops. There were no birds, no plants, no woodland animals. A barren land, unforgiving as ever, had been Laevatein's home for her whole life. Waking up and seeing the sunrise was... bizarre to her. But... something was serene about it. The way the rays bounced off of the horizon, the way the sky glowed a rosy pink, the warmth seeking through her window... Even if she had never experienced something like that, there was something to it that rushed a wave of peace through her body.   
The sun reminded her of Laegjarn.  
Laegjarn's smile... it had glowed just as brightly too as the sun on this morning.  
Laevatein stretched, and rolled out of bed. Like every other hero here, she was given her own little room. Her's just so happened to face out towards the south, where rolling, green hills adorned the empty fields. From her window, she could see two guard towers and a small garden. Sometimes, even in early hours of the morning, heroes would be bustling around, carrying out patrols and chores, or maybe taking a walk to clear their mind. Laevatein leaned against the window and watched a maid with pink hair carry a large load of laundry, a woman with a green ponytail watch from the guard tower out towards the plains, and a boy with long, silver hair, tied in a makeshift bun, adjust his kimono before walking into the castle. Everybody here was so different from each other. Askr was truly an odd place.  
Laevatein wondered to herself, Why did she choose Askr over ruling Múspell? Perhaps it was because the kingdom of her birth was now in ruins from her father. Or was it because she felt deep down she wouldn't know how to rule without her sister, (or any family at all,) guiding her way. Or was it the deep trauma and the chilling memory of her sister's death that made her want to stay as far away as possible?  
She had only been here for a week or so. The Order's schedule, as chaotic as it is, was surprisingly well organized. At the mess hall, when everyone was awake, the summoner would read off a list of chores, and who was assigned each. Chores ranged from patrolling, to training new heroes, to just housekeeping, (er- castlekeeping?) After that, there was break time, which was determined by which job you had to do that day, followed by lunch, then more chores, then dinner. Once dinner was over, heroes were free to take a break and relax. Some heroes even took to the arena and fought against heroes from the Outrealms. (Apparently, there are infinite worlds out there, almost like alternate universes. Just thinking about it made Laevatein's head hurt.) For a country at war, Askr did seem to be much more laid back than what she thought it would be.

~

Breakfast was a fluffy biscuit with a side of strawberry jam, potatoes, apple slices, and a cup of green tea. The lovely scent had wafted all through the castle, which seemed to stir almost everyone awake. The mess hall was bustling with chatter and every table was taken, much to Laevatein's dismay, as she was hoping to sit alone again. She let out a grumble before grabbing a tray and heading towards the counter where the food was being served. A light-brown-haired girl with flowers in her hair, which Laevatein had recognized as the new clumsy pegasus knight, smiled warmly at her, raising her spatula as if to wave hello, before piling 3 potato slices on Laevatein's plate. One of the peels slipped off the spatula and splattered on the ground, and the pegasus knight looked down and sighed before motioning Laevatein off to the next server. This one was a red-haired boy with sleep still gnawing at his eyelids. He yawned, "I'm too tired to be on cooking duty," and handed Laevatein a biscuit with some jam. As Laevatein scooted over to the next server, she was startled by a high-pitched and energetic voice.  
"Oh! Laevatein! Good morning!!"  
Ugh. That blond little Askran princess. She was always so hyper and friendly, and the attention made Laevatein sick. She didn't respond as Sharena slid some apple slices onto Laevatein's tray, still rambling on about "how excited she was to meet a Múspellian royal" or whatever. Laevatein rubbed the sleep from her eyes before silently taking the cup of tea from Sharena, who still didn't get the message that she wasn't in the mood for chitchat.   
Now, she had to choose where to sit. Would she sit with the rugged mercenaries, chowing down and eagerly talking about their stories on the battlefield? How about the mages all huddled up in the back corner, probably gossiping to one another? Or maybe the armor knights would be bearable enough for Laevatein to down her breakfast?  
Laevatein, scanning the mess hall still, spied an almost-empty table, only being occupied by two manaketes and a middle-aged woman with long, red hair. She sat down at the edge of the seat, not acknowledging the presence of the others. One of the manaketes, a small child with green hair, was snoozing against a light-blue-haired woman with a dress to match. She was chatting, something about a younger sibling, to the red-haired woman, who would chuckle and answer in a soft, deep voice. Perhaps they had gotten the message that Sharena was too dense to understand, because neither of them turned to talk to Laevatein. It seemed like forever until the chatter was finally hushed with the voice of the summoner.  
They were holding a voice-enhancing tome, which made it so the heroes in the back could even hear them loud and clearly. Their white and gold cloak glimmered from the sunbeams dancing from the windows. They gave a quick good morning, followed by some basic news, then they pulled out a scroll and began to read out the names for each chore.  
Laevatein began to doze off until she heard her name called.  
"Patrol duty is Laevatein, Ishtar, Sumia, anddddd...... Deirdre."  
Laevatein didn't recognize any of those names, but patrol duty was better than laundry. She shrugged and promptly got up like everyone else as the summoner finished reading the list. She saw the clumsy cook from earlier undo her apron and adjust her armor before climbing up the stairs, where the main entrance was. Laevatein watched a pale woman with a super long lavender dress latch onto her tome she had carried to breakfast with her, and stumble up the stairs, barely tripping on her dress. Finally, from the mage's table, Laevatein watched a young woman with her hair in a ponytail, a long, sweeping cape, and huge pauldrons stand up. Her purple dress was adorned with gold jewelry, glittering radiantly with each step of her white, high-heel boots. The way she carried herself; she looked like she was ready to take on the world. Laevatein admired her confidence... confidence she once had long ago...  
She pulled her tome that was strapped to her belt into her arms. Little bits of electricity sparked from the golden embellishment on the cover, and they danced in the air, like speckles of flame or wisps of smoke. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's go."  
This was not a woman to be messed with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops sorry for the lack of an update for a while! im going to try to update more often, but im gonna expand to other fire emblem stories. i dont want to go over my head today but ive got some good ideas im ready to share *rubs hands together* >:3c  
> anyways enjoy! gay rights!


End file.
